There are number of myths out there about the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. I encourage Mainers to research before they vote on Question 1 in November.

One myth is that Question 1 will help Mainers save money. That is not true. TABOR is a cap on government spending, so strict that some public services we took for granted will become privatized and controlled by for-profit entities. We have to pay for public safety, public facilities, infrastructure and education somehow.

A second myth is that TABOR democratizes the budget process through referendum. That is not true. Question 1 requires a two-thirds majority vote to go to a referendum. That process creates even more costly bureaucracy to accomplish the smallest budget increase, and puts the power of preventing the increase or citizen referendum in the hands of a small group of people in the legislature.

A third myth is that TABOR is reasonable. That is really not true. The formula Question 1 uses to cap spending is based upon the consumer price index and population increase, and doesn’t take into account the numerous reasons for which state or local spending may need to be increased: rising cost of health care, increases in our senior citizen population, lack of affordable housing, rising cost of oil, severe and catastrophic weather, etc.

Voters should learn a lesson from the TABOR experiment in Colorado, and look to more progressive tax reform solutions for Maine.

Craig Saddlemire, Lewiston